Settling in Great!!!

drewlowe · 01-01-04, 05:46 PM

Well i've had neo now for a few months and let me tell you, this boy is so SPOILED!!! Not only does he get most of my attention but, If i think it will be benificial to him i get it. Recently i added a double flouresent bulb ( one is a 5.0 uvb, and the other is a plant bulb). Then i decided he should have more leaves (or shelter) so he would feel more comfortable( the haha i see you but you don't see me thing) or that's how i would like him to feel.

I just recently ordered him some silkies (his first time ever getting them) and some horn worms (first time also). I just hope he likes them.

I believe he's also going into a slight brumation. He was waking up later than normal and going to sleep pretty early so i set his photo period down to 10 hours of light a day. he only eats a little bit each day (which is good, because he was a HUGE pig when i first got him, eating 25 plus bugs a day.) That's all from previous owner ship which i believe i wasn't too late from being able to save him. anyway enough rambling i'll show you some pics. Hope you enjoy.

This was neo a week after i got him.

And this was his cage after it's first revamp. When i first recieved him all he had was a ficus tree a water bowl (don't know why) and a few fake plants (not nearly enough for a cham).

Here are the pics from today.

These are 2 close up pics of neo. I can tell the change in apperence, and his attitude since i first got him. When i used to open the cage he would try to hide, and now he fully stands his ground like he's saying "this is my territory GET OUT!!!!"

Here's his cage all set up with his new fake plants (still waiting for the purple jew from my mom) and new floresent fixture.

This one shows how horrible my brown thumb is. LOL the ficus was dying until the new lights got on it. Now it's showing signs of new leaves. And neo telling me to leave him alone.

This one is a close up of the area he spends most of his time in. He's either under his basking lamp on the left or he's in the far back corner hiding under the uvb lamp and fake leaves. That's his spot that he doesn't think i can see him.

Thanks for looking

Jamie

P. S. Trace ahhhhh Help!!!! I saw a female and thought she would be a perfect match for neo. My boyfriend is half tempted to get her (to make me happy), If only we had a spot to put another cage. You can go right ahead and tell me "I told ya so" lol. Yep i'm lost to the chameleon addiction.

I still have alot to learn before i even attempt breeding.

Trace · 01-01-04, 07:42 PM

Quote:

You can go right ahead and tell me "I told ya so"

Alrighty then, you asked for it:

I TOLD YOU SO!

Now I am getting a little older and memory is failing me, but I do seem to remember a conversation on MSN recently about wanting some pygmy chameleons too. Has that idea come to fruition? And you can always squeeze another cage into the house, trust me on this. Human furniture is overrated in a lot of respects. All kidding aside, don't turn into me.

Yeah, Neo definitely has the 'tude now doesn't he. Does he do the old "hiss and lunge" at you when you open up the cage or get too close? I'd like to see him get rid of those stressy browns and wear a bit more green for you, but that just might be the way he is or maybe he didn't want his picture taken at that particular moment.

And I'm sorry, I have a brown thumb too, but that is one of the more pathetic Ficus trees I've seen in a while! LOL!

Happy New Year Jamie.

Trace

joer · 01-01-04, 07:48 PM

Wow thats a great cage set up. What a great looking chameleon also. 8)

drewlowe · 01-01-04, 08:08 PM

Trace- Yep i still want some pygmys... But i'm making myself wait until we get a house, we have no room left specially when breeding season hits and i have baby beardies and corns all over the place. I will have some one day.

The only time i have ever seen him NOT brown is when he's sleeping and all the lights are off. He'll even turn brown when he's sleeping if i turn on the lights in the bathroom (not the ones in his cage). I can tell when he's really pissed at me, in his wonderful brown color (lol) he'll show some hints of bright orange. That's the only time i see that color.
Yep he does the hiss and lunge thing all the time, that grumpy guy almost got me a few times. But after a few minutes of keeping my hand near him (just out of biting range) he'll loosen up a bit and let me touch him, without hissing and lunging for me.
I'm hoping all it will take is some time. If he never comes out of this attitude he has i'll be fine with it, cause he truly is amazing.

I remember the first week he was with me, he was so weak and would just snuggle in my hand as i would hand feed him and drop water in his mouth, then he changed on me turning into this raving lunitic. LOL j/k he's not that bad yet...

Do you have any other suggestions why he would be staying this brown all the time(apart from sleeping). He's in a very low traffic area, temps i belive are right he has two branches he can bask on under the light one is at 90 the other 95 he can retreat to a cool side of 80-85, or he can climb lower and go down into the low70's. Night time temps are in the 70-80 range (depending on where he sleeps). I mist him twice a day at least sometimes 3. He's got tons of places he can climb to or hide, don't know what else i can do.

Ya ummm you want your plant dead bring to me and in a week it'll be gone. LOL That's why i got a double flouresent tube, my fingers are crossed the tree will live. If it gets any worse, i've already warned my mom that she will have to nurse it back to health.

Thanks again

Jamie

thanks Joer

Collide · 01-01-04, 08:11 PM

Lol he is looking great typical grump lol. About that fucus its hard at first to find the right balance between light and watering but u will find it. the more light u have the better off u are, it dosent help that u look like he is in a basement (me too), hard to get lighting right with hardly any availible light in the day anyway. well he is looking great. I dont know how anyone who gets a cham cant become addicted....

drewlowe · 01-01-04, 08:19 PM

Yep we live in a basement. It sucks very very little natural light. Plus we had no more room and had to put him in the unfinished shower. LOL whatever works.

Trace · 01-01-04, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Do you have any other suggestions why he would be staying this brown all the time(apart from sleeping).

I'll be be damned if I know! Seriously! I've got one cham here (Nuno Junior) that is brown when he's doing nothing, but fire him up and he turns bright yellow and orange with very little green. That's not your typical colouration for a Veiled. My other fellow (BayLeef) is just like your Neo and I think I've mentioned him to you before. He's brown all day and beautiful greens/yellows when he's sleeping. I've tried everything with that man; more plants, less plants, big cage, little cage, more light, less light, his own room, no handling in every combination. I'm his third owner and he was given to me because he was stressed out/traumatized and he just has never overcome that. I've sort of given up with him trying to figure it out so I think it's best for him to be ignored. Beyond the daily mistings and feedings he doesn't get a lot of human interaction and he seems to be happier with that. BayLeef may come around yet.

Trace

choriona · 01-02-04, 04:06 PM

Keep up the great work! Neo looks wonderful. Quite a change from the before and after pics.
I think I remember reading about fiscus trees and how they don't like change. They get stressed and drop all their leaves. A change can be as simple as moving them from the right side of the room to the left, or rotating them. But if its coming around, you may save it yet. If you want to learn more about plants, check out "house plants for dummies". I think thats what its called, or some variation on that theme. Not many colored pics, but good info none the less.

meow_mix450 · 01-03-04, 12:39 PM

hey i guess thats cause they try to blend in with the sticks thats just a thought, i always wondering how the hell nosy be's surive in the wild, just being blue, cause i heard a lot of wild animals that doesnt match the back ground of where they live they die easly cause they can be seem, so just a thouhgt.

Ha ha ha wow nice tree you got there, unno much about them but my dad use to have lots of orchids and stuff, there really pretty, but anyhoo, do you water them daily??? cause once i forgot to water my plants for a week, they started dying untill i started up again, so water is a major part, and i would say you should get another tree. my tree in my chams cage, i water daily and its on top of a basking light, and its growing like crazy!

Meow